Homemade baby food recipes for fall

Fall inspired baby food recipes

Fall ushers in the harvest of pears, apples, and winter squash like butternut, hubbard, and acorn. These foods make some of the most beloved baby foods around. Not only are they packed full of nutrition with vitamin A, vitamin C, and even some calcium and iron, they also are quite tasty and easy to digest. If your baby is just beginning the journey into solid foods in the fall, she is truly lucky and in for a big treat! Here are a few recipes with a fall flair.

Baby's Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal

(7 to 8 months +, for those babies who have already been introduced to yogurt)

What you need:

2 Saucepots

Cutting board

Knife

Vegetable peeler

Steamer basket

Ingredients:

1 sugar pumpkin (may be labeled as pie pumpkin or baking pumpkin)

1 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup whole milk yogurt, plain

Cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Cut the pumpkin into quarters, then peel the skin away.

Chop pumpkin into chunks, about 1-inch in size

Insert the steamer basket into one saucepot, then add water to the saucepot until it just comes through the holes in the steamer basket.

Add the pumpkin to the steamer basket and steam on medium heat until fork tender, approximately 20 minutes. Be sure to check on the water level!

In another saucepot, add 2 cups of water and a dash of cinnamon, then bring to a boil. Stir in the oatmeal and turn heat down to low, cooking for approximately 7 to 12 minutes.

Once pumpkin has been cooked, allow to cool a bit and then transfer to a blender or food processor and purée to a soupy consistency.

Add some of the pumpkin purée to a serving of the cooked oatmeal and then top with some yogurt, stir to combine, if desired.

You may combine all of the pumpkin purée with the oatmeal and freeze in portions, if desired. You also may freeze the oatmeal and pumpkin separately and use whenever needed. Oatmeal and pumpkin purée will keep for about 3 days in the refrigerator.

If you want to conserve energy and also save time, roast the pumpkin alongside the butternut squash and apples as shown above.